‘They Just Laughed At My Request To Contact Consulate’

A citizen of Poland talks about the interrogation at the Belarusian border.

There is a post on the Zwiedzaj Białoruś, a Polish Facebook group. It’s dated May 31. The post by a Polish citizen tells about his attempt to enter Belarus. So, the Belarusian security officials interrogated him at the border. They were also threatening him. Finally, they did not let him enter Belarus.

Risky Direction

Recently, cases of thorough checks and detentions of citizens on the Belarusian-Polish border have become more frequent. The Belarusians who tried to enter the country told about it. Previously, there were no stories from foreigners. We tell the story of a Polish citizen who tried to get to Belarus on May 30, but he failed.

“I have entered Belarus many times before, mainly to Brest and nearby areas. This has become a rather risky direction for some time now. The border guards detained me, and the FSB officers [there were KGB officers most likely - Ed.] interrogated me also. They took my phones and tried to force me to unlock them. They were asking me about everything again and again. Where I am from, where I am going, what I was doing in Ukraine. They just laughed at my request to contact the Consulate. I was threatened that I would be detained for several weeks and that I would "melt". Finally, I managed to get released on my own by threats. It is no longer a country friendly to the Poles. I know that I was not the only person who faced such troubles recently.

Show Phone

The Poles began to share their stories under the post of a person who was banned from entering Belarus. Here are a few comments:

“I’m sure, half of the post is bullshit. But true, when I recently crossed the border, they asked about Ukrainian stamps from 2021 and about contacts in Ukraine. They also asked to see my phone, and after making sure there was nothing suspicious, they left me alone. The author, most likely, simply refused to show the phone and they did not let him in because of this. The rest is his wild imagination.”

“Recently, it has become the KGB’s routine. They are especially interested in all the personal data in passports linked to Ukraine. Even if it is not a stamp, but only the place of birth.”